After an extensive two-year selection process involving thorough interviews, auditions, and feedback from musicians, board members, staff, subscribers, and audience members, the Greensboro Symphony (GSO) has appointed Christopher Dragon, a conductor from Australia, as its new Music Director. Dragon, currently serving as Resident Conductor of the Colorado Symphony and Music Director of the Wyoming Symphony, marks the first new Music Director for GSO in more than twenty years.

In his new role, Dragon will oversee the planning and conducting of GSO’s Masterworks Series, as well as lead several GSO POPS concerts and the annual GSO Education Concert Series, which reaches approximately 50,000 children in the Triad area with music education experiences each year.

Originally from Perth, Australia, Dragon began his conducting studies in 2011 under the mentorship of Leonid Grin, Paavo and Neeme Jarvi, Fabio Luisi, and Jorma Panula at prestigious festivals and with various orchestras, including the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and, from 2015 onwards, the Colorado Symphony. His career has seen collaborations with renowned orchestras worldwide and performances alongside distinguished artists such as Renée Fleming, Joshua Bell, Cynthia Erivo, as well as unconventional partnerships with the Wu-Tang Clan and Cypress Hill.

During the selection process, a GSO musician remarked on Dragon's impressive balance of seriousness and levity, pushing the orchestra to excel while maintaining a grounded perspective. Dragon expressed his excitement to embark on this new chapter with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, emphasizing his commitment to creating memorable symphonic experiences and engaging deeply with the Greensboro community alongside his wife, Ariadna, and their dog, Churro.